U-Bend Specimen

Definition - What does U-Bend Specimen mean?

A U-bend specimen is simple device used to detect the susceptibility of a material to stress corrosion cracking. U-bend specimens have been called "a poor man's tensile test."

U-bend specimens are easy and inexpensive to make and use, making them a very commonly used test method.

Corrosionpedia explains U-Bend Specimen

The U-bend specimen is a rectangular strip of the substrate that is bent 180° and maintained under uniform strain throughout the stress-corrosion testing. It can be used to test any metal or metal alloy. The specimen is often made from strip or sheet of material, but can be made from other forms such as bars or wires as well.

U-bend specimens are most useful for detecting major differences between the stress-corrosion cracking resistance of:

Different metals in the same environment

The same metal in different environments

The same metal in the same environment with different metallurgical conditions